The Secret of Mars
Chapter 1: The End

Lord Hoffman and Lady Arianna motioned for the applause to stop. Today their clan was celebrating the one hundredth and sixteenth anniversary of their arrival on Mars.

“Many time periods have passed since we fled our homeworld of Europa and came to live on this beautiful planet,” Lord Hoffman said, addressing the crowd. “Its beautiful blue waters have given us a new home, a new life for which we are grateful. Never would I have thought there could be a more beautiful place than the seas of Europa.” He stopped. He felt a tremor in the ground beneath him, a tremor that was growing in magnitude. The ground beneath him began to shake. Within seconds, the water around him vibrated, then pulsated, sending unseen pressure waves into his body.

“What’s happening?” Lady Arianna asked.

“I don’t know,” a worried Lord replied. The tremors and vibrations grew stronger, making it hard to maintain his position in the water. He grabbed his mate’s hand and swam with her outside the Complex as the surrounding structures started to crumble and crash down upon those nearby. “Quick, everyone, away from all the buildings. Swim out to the Great Expanse. Stay away from rocks, walls and structures. Hold on to those who are younger and lighter, so they are not swept away in this increasing current. When you get to an area of safety, interlocked your bodies together. We have to make ourselves as heavy as possible, so we’re not all swept away. Commander Trot, send a group to the surface to see if this is happening on the land too.” Immediately, the Commander dispatched six soldiers to do as his Lord asked.

The congregation of Oonocks swam out to the large clearing. The young, injured and light-weight individuals were huddled together while the others locked their arms with their neighbors, forming a wall of protection around them. But some were not resilient enough to fight the ever increasing current and were swept away. Others were crushed by falling rock and debris as they tried to flee.

Realizing the danger their sovereigns were in, several soldiers attempted to reach their lord and lady with speeders. Of the four, only one was able to fight its way to them. “Sire, you and Lady Arianna need to get inside,” Commander Trot announced. “Perhaps you can survive this in here. Our people will surround you and try to keep you safe.” As the top flipped open, the raging water snapped it off and dragged it away. The soldier inside exited the speeder, a horrified look on his face.

“Sire, Nevane reports there is nothing left above. Everything has been destroyed. And it’s not just the land. The water is being sucked out of the ocean. He estimates we have only five minutes before the water here disappears.”

“Guess there’s no reason to hide inside the speeder,” Lord Hoffman stated as he looked at the Commander. He pulled his beloved mate and surviving child into his wings. Death would soon be upon them.

“What is causing this?” a tearful Lady Arianna asked as she watched more of her people get swept away.

“There is only one explanation. JeffRa,” Lord Hoffman said with confidence. “He has found us and is fulfilling his vow to eradicate our race. Quick, Commander Trot, get a message to Earth while we still can. Tell King Enok and Queen Medaron what is happening. Warn them that JeffRa is coming.”

Commander Trot quickly entered the speeder and sent off a short message to Earth. He had just finished it when a brilliant light filled the sky only feet above their heads and the water that surrounded them. When the light disappeared, everything was gone: the forests, the mountains, the oceans, the city, the alien Oonocks. Nothing alive remained on Mars. The planet’s destruction was so complete that not even a piece of bark or a shard of bone would give witness that life had once existed on the now red planet.

“You are sure you have everything you need?” Medi asked her daughter for the third time.

“Yes, Mattwa,” Princess Mary replied, trying to hide her annoyance. “I checked my list numerous times. And if I think of something once I am gone, I am sure the Settlement of humans on Mars will have it.” She could barely contain her excitement as she heard the announcement that boarding on the starship would begin in five minutes. “Imagine, I will be the second Oonock to set foot on Mars since the settlement was destroyed over six thousand years ago.”

“Remember, do not get your hopes up too high,” Prince EJ, her father, advised. “When JeffRa destroyed the planet, he left nothing behind except dirt and rock. He destroyed everything. When your Aunt Misso’s visited a few years ago, the only thing she found were a few tiny pieces of broken pottery. She never discovered the location of the original settlement or where the pottery came from. The winds of Mars have had millennia to blow any settlement remnants hundreds of miles from their original location. The possibility of finding where the settlement had been is almost nonexistent.”

“Where’s that positive attitude you are known for, Dattwa? I have a good feeling about my trip,” Mary smiled. “Grandfather said Great-Grandfather King Enok believed the settlement was located in the deep ocean, just as our Complex here on Earth is. The humans on Mars are certain they found the location of an ancient sea. It is in the same vicinity where Aunt Misso found those pottery pieces. I honestly believe the Fates have placed my feet on a path that will help me discover where the colonists lived. I know it is there, just waiting to be found.”

“Perhaps they have,” EJ said, wishing to give his daughter some hope in an almost impossible task.

“Boarding has begun for Starship Oscar III,” was announced. “Anyone departing for Mars should board now. Please have your appropriate documentation ready when boarding.”

“I have to go,” Mary giggled with excitement, giving both parents a hug and kiss goodbye.

“Be careful,” her father said. He turned to her protector. “Make sure she does not do anything too crazy.”

“I will make sure she is safe, Your Majesty,” PiePie replied.

Mary saw the forlorn look on her mother’s face. “Do not worry, Mattwa. PiePie will watch over me. And Grandfather has twenty elite Oonock soldiers accompanying us. Nothing can happen. I will be back home in a few months.”

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